Map Collection Reading Room

Maps, nautical charts and atlases are among the items collected by the German National Library in Leipzig since 1913. The stock has been supplemented retrospectively, which means that the Map Collection now possesses a German-language compilation of maps of the 20th and 21st century that is nearly complete, except for secret military maps. The collection comprises over 255,000 maps, including approximately 4,000 wall maps and approximately 5,000 atlases.

Maps are catalogued in a subject catalogue which is based on a regional system, and they are also included in the online catalogue of the German National Library. Maps can be used in a special reading room with approximately 460 volumes of cartographic literature, reference books, gazetteers, and serials relating to cartography, atlases, and a number of topical maps in open access.

Delivery time

All orders received before 14:00 are processed until 14:00 on weekdays (except Saturdays). It takes approximately 3 hours for the orders to be processed. Items ordered after 14:00 are generally available from roughly 11:00 the following morning (except Saturdays).